Three Degrees

Mid 70s magic from The ThreeDegrees – a time when this Philly trio was really at the height of their powers! The girl group had recorded previously, in a somewhat more standard style of Philly soul – but during the 70s they hooked up with Gamble & Huff, and managed to make some really amazing music that forever helped transform the style of female soul on the dancefloor! The trio's vocals are a perfect match for the soaring strings and lively rhythms of the Philly International groove – and the cuts are as sweet as they are grooving – a magical balance that few other groups could strike this well. CD features 14 tracks – including "When Will I See You Again", "Long Lost Lover", "Can't You See What You're Doing To Me", "Love Is The Message", "TSOP", "Dirty Ol Man", "Here I Am", "I Didn't Know", "If & When", "Year Of Decision", and "Everybody Gets To Go To The Moon (live version)". CD

The Philly trio gets some great live work done in this tasty little set – hitting the stage with backings from Richard Barrett, and singing before a very enthusiastic crowd in the UK! The style's almost a bit more like the Motown live albums from years back than most Philly International sets – still in the soaring clubby mood of the group's studio work, but with a lot more interplay with the audience, and a style that's sometimes looser and more entertainment-oriented – especially in the choice of a few of the tunes. Titles include "Living For The City/For The Love Of Money", "Love Train", "Harlem", "When Will I See You Again", "Year Of Decision", and "Free Ride". CD

The Philly trio gets some great live work done in this tasty little set – hitting the stage with backings from Richard Barrett, and singing before a very enthusiastic crowd in the UK! The style's almost a bit more like the Motown live albums from years back than most Philly International sets – still in the soaring clubby mood of the group's studio work, but with a lot more interplay with the audience, and a style that's sometimes looser and more entertainment-oriented – especially in the choice of a few of the tunes. Titles include "For The Love Of Money", "Living For The City", "Love Train", "Harlem", "When Will I See You Again", "Year Of Decision", and "Free Ride". LP, Vinyl record album

Before they hit the big smooth Philly sound of the seventies, The ThreeDegrees cut these rawer girl group soul sides for the Swan label. This stuff's really hard to find on wax, and this CD compiles the complete recordings of the group, plus some of the solo stuff by Sheila Ferguson. Cuts include "Gotta Draw The Line", "Gee Baby", "I'm Gonna Need You", "I'll Weep For You", "Love Of My Life", "Drivin' Me Mad", and "Look In My Eyes". 26 tracks in all! CD

Although recorded early in the career of Muhal Richard Abrams, this brilliant LP shows the pianist/composer turning away from the stock jazz and studio work of earlier years – to develop into one of the richest talents to rise from the Chicago avant underground of the 60s! At the time of the recording, Abrams was the president of the recently-founded AACM – and for the session, he's surrounded himself with some of the best young talents from Chicago, including Thurman Barker, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, and Maurice McIntyre – all of whom help to create a complicated web of colors, shapes, and sounds, that prove that the youthful energy of the underground scene was more than capable of crafting sophisticated modernist documents. The album features three long works – "Levels & Degrees Of Light", "The Bird Song", and "My Thoughts Are My Future". CD

Ahhh . . . The genius of Paul Desmond and Jim Hall! Desmond was the icy alto tone behind Dave Brubeck's legendary quartet of the late 50s and early 60s – and although we always liked his work with Dave, Paul's even better on his own! Desmond has a lanquid, lyrical tones that's simply beyond compare – and in the right setting, he crafts these snaking, inching, arcing lines that take the alto sax to a whole new level of expression. In these sides with guitarist Jim Hall, he's certainly in the right setting – as modernist Hall, fresh from work with the Jimmy Guiffre 3, really helps set the mode on these recordings, painting colors with a subtle brush, filling in spaces ever so gently as Desmond angles his way around tunes that have an increasingly Latin bent to them. The first album in the set features tracks from Desmond's rare 1959 Warner Brothers album , plus an obscure tune ("Susie") that was only ever issued on a 1959 Playboy compilation. The remaining 5 LPs feature tracks from Desmond's sublime RCA sessions from the early 60s - sparely recorded with only bass and drums behind work by him and Hall. Titles include "All Across The City", "East Of The Sun", "Greensleeves", "Rude Old Man", "Samba Cantina", "Two Degrees East, ThreeDegrees West", "Samba De Orfeu", and loads more. CD

A key moment for the Philly soul scene of the 70s – and the first album to feature the MFSB backing group as a solo act on their own! The ensemble were responsible for key sounds on countless soul singles of the time – yet also find a way to soar beautifully on their own – in a sweet instrumental groove that matches the strength of Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra, and which was definitely a key inspiration for the sound of the Salsoul Orchestra! There's definitely a bit of early disco in the mix, but the style's more uptempo east coast overall – that pre-disco groove that was going down in the clubs – with larger strings added to a core group of funky rhythm players. Gamble & Huff production make the whole thing sparkle, and arrangements are by Vince Montana, Bobby Martin, and Jack Faith – on titles that include "Love Is The Message", "Cheaper To Keep Her", "TSOP", "Zack's Fanfare", "Touch Me In The Morning", and "My One & Only Love". CD features bonus tracks – "Love Is The Message (single version – with ThreeDegrees)", "TSOP (with ThreeDegrees)", and "Love Is The Message (Tom Moulton mix)". CD

A huge breakout moment for disco in the 70s – the first album from Silver Convention, a very early example of the European power on the club scene! The group's the brainchild of arranger Sylvester Levay and producer Michael Kunze – who come up with some great German disco rhythms for the record, mixed with soaring female trio vocals, by a group that includes two German gals and American soul singer Roberta Kelly! The vocal approach is similar to that 70s Philly group mode – popularized by First Choice, ThreeDegrees, and others – and pumped it up with the Munich sound of throbbing bass and heavy beats, which was arguably one of the first steps towards house music in the 80s. Titles include the huge hit "Fly Robin Fly", plus "Save Me", "I Like It", "Chains Of Love", "Tiger Baby", "Always Another Girl", and "Heart Of Stone". CD features bonus tracks – "Fly Robin Fly (12" disco version)" and "Tiger Baby (12" disco version)". CD

The start of a very successful run for Gloria Gaynor – a seminal bit of crossover 70s soul – one that perfectly linked the dancefloor with the airwaves, and managed to take on more than a few living rooms as well! Gloria's not entirely in full blown disco-diva mode yet, and works here with a soaring Philly-styled groove – of the sort you'd hear with groups like First Choice or ThreeDegrees – almost grounded a bit in earlier female soul, especially in the vocals and overall changes in the grooves – yet sparkled up plenty with some fuller, richer 70s arrangements. Those are handled by Norman Harris and Harold Wheeler – who do plenty to warm up the production by Meco – and the set includes the stunning 6 minute version of Gloria's big hit "Never Can Say Goodbye", plus "All I Need Is Your Sweet Lovin", "We Belong Together", "Real Good People", "Honey Bee", and "Reach Out I'll Be There". CD

Although recorded early in the career of Muhal Richard Abrams, this brilliant LP shows the pianist/composer turning away from the stock jazz and studio work of earlier years – to develop into one of the richest talents to rise from the Chicago avant underground of the 60s! At the time of the recording, Abrams was the president of the recently-founded AACM – and for the session, he's surrounded himself with some of the best young talents from Chicago, including Thurman Barker, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, and Maurice McIntyre – all of whom help to create a complicated web of colors, shapes, and sounds, that prove that the youthful energy of the underground scene was more than capable of crafting sophisticated modernist documents. The album features three long works – "Levels & Degrees Of Light", "The Bird Song", and "My Thoughts Are My Future". CD

Heist films always provided some of the best soundtracks of the 70's, and this one (starring Robert Shaw and Richard Roundtree, and issued in the US as Diamond Shaft) is no exception! Roy Budd rises to the groovy occasion and scores some excellent moments that match a light orchestral sound with a throbbing electric bass and percussion underground – in a style that's like Lalo Schifrin's best work from the time. The LP's overflowing with tracks, including a few bonus mixes, and there's even 2 vocal numbers that feature The ThreeDegrees. Titles include "The Thief", "Beauty & The Bass", "Diamonds", "Party Piece", "Thief On the Prowl", and more! Nice notes, and some nicely funky crime themes, too! Nice gatefold cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

The start of a very successful run for Gloria Gaynor – a seminal bit of crossover 70s soul – one that perfectly linked the dancefloor with the airwaves, and managed to take on more than a few living rooms as well! Gloria's not entirely in full blown disco-diva mode yet, and works here with a soaring Philly-styled groove – of the sort you'd hear with groups like First Choice or ThreeDegrees – almost grounded a bit in earlier female soul, especially in the vocals and overall changes in the grooves – yet sparkled up plenty with some fuller, richer 70s arrangements. Those are handled by Norman Harris and Harold Wheeler – who do plenty to warm up the production by Meco – and the set includes the stunning 6 minute version of Gloria's big hit "Never Can Say Goodbye", plus "All I Need Is Your Sweet Lovin", "We Belong Together", "Real Good People", "Honey Bee", and "Reach Out I'll Be There". LP, Vinyl record album

(Cover has light wear, a small split on the top seam, and a name in marker on the front. Label has some pen.)

Sweet funky club soul from Stargard – a group who pick up on the guitar-based styles of Labelle, but who have the sweeter soul approach of ThreeDegrees or First Choice! The bass dominates the arrangements, and there's some surprisingly soulful numbers on the set – despite the silly costumes on the cover! Titles include "Sensuous Woman", "Disco People", "Blue Rain", "Chameleon Lady", and "Starbob". LP, Vinyl record album

Two albums and bonus tracks too – all rare material from an overlooked chapter of The Shirelles' career! First up is Happy & In Love, a great second chapter for The Shirelles – hardly the girl group pop they cut in the 60s, and instead a more righteous soul style for the 70s – in a mode that's like Honey Cone or ThreeDegrees! The backings are nice and soulful – almost funky at times – with arrangements from George Andrews and Joe Scott that mix fuller strings with tighter grooves at the core – in a way that really sets the vocals free amidst some very interesting material! Had the girls only cut this record, it might have been a 70s soul hit – but it's unfortunately gotten lost to the shifting sands of time because it's not as iconic as their hits. Don't make that mistake, though, because the album's a real charmer – and titles include "Boy You're Too Young", "There's Nothing In This World", "It's Gonna Take A Miracle", "Take Me", "We Got A Lot Of Lovin To Do", and "Strange I Still Love You". The 1972 album The Shirelles is surprisingly great later work by The Shirelles – nice and soulful, thanks to arrangements from David Van De Pitte and Wade Marcus – both of whom push the trio way past their roots, into more sophisticated group soul for the 70s! The approach carries the best (then) contemporary styles from New York and Philly – particularly that strong way of mixing group vocals with focused grooves – as you'd hear from some of the more successful male groups of the time on RCA, like Main Ingredient or Choice Four. The Shirelles have a strong sense of harmony that really pushes the tunes forward – and the material is nice and creative – with titles that include "Walk On In", "Brother Brother", "Sunday Dreaming", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Let's Stay Together", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart", and "Drowning In The Sea Of Love". CD also features bonus tracks – "Let's Give Each Other Love", "Do What You've A Mind To", and "Touch The Wind". CD

Massive mixes from the mighty Tom Moulton – a huge 4CD package that not only includes some classic lost and rare mixes from the 70s, but also a whopping 17 previously unreleased Moulton mixes, appearing here for the first time ever! If there's anyone who's ever been well-suited to reworking a Philly groove, it's Tom – given his long standing association with the soul scene in the City Of Brotherly Love – and his crucial role in pushing soul tracks into the clubs during the 70s. As with most of Tom's best work, the mixes here are richly faithful to the originals – and never try to overstate themselves at all, just focus on the best elements, and bring them to the forefront of the groove! 4CDs, 31 tracks, and Moulton remixes of "Back Stabbers" by The O'Jays, "Dirty Ol Man" by ThreeDegrees, "Trusting Heart" by The Trammps, "Do It Any Way You Wanna" by People's Choice, "Nights Over Egypt" by The Jones Girls, "I Don't Love You Anymore" by Teddy Pendergrass, "Year Of Decision" by ThreeDegrees, "Slow Motion" by Johnny Williams, "The Love I Lost" by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, "She's A Winner" by The Intruders, "Trammps Disco Theme/Zing Went The Strings" by The Trammps, "Let's Groove" by Archie Bell & The Drells, "The Devil Made Me Do It" by Robert Upchurch, "Love Is The Message" by MFSB, "Party Time Man" by The Futures, and "See You When I Get There" by Lou Rawls. CD